CITY workers were up bright and early the Tuesday morning after Easter Monday painting two rainbow crosswalks stretching across Park Ave. to George Little Park – one crosswalk on either side of Emerson St.
This time, city crews used thermoplastic marking material, a blend of paints, resins and other ingredients which is more resilient and longer-wearing than ordinary paint.
That’s because the city’s first attempt at a rainbow crosswalk in front of city hall, painted in June 2016, quickly wore off due to weather and vehicle tires. Regular crosswalks also wear off during winter and repainting them is on the city’s standard to-do list every spring.
The original rainbow crosswalk was laid down after a request from a resident in 2015 and the subsequent unanimous vote of approval by city council. It denotes the city’s LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or questioning) community.
Council decided on the new location informally by email, said city senior official Heather Avison.
“I asked all of council if they had any suggestions for a new location knowing that we had that option given that the original crosswalk was completely, or mostly, gone,” said Avison.
“The first new location suggested was near the Market Street. The majority agreed to this location.” The cost of these new crosswalks is approximately $2,000 each compared to the $1,700 cost of the first one last year. A regular crosswalk costs $500.